Step-by-step slide operated paste tube squeezer



NOV. 29, 1949 C, B. TROTTA 2,489,940

STEP-BY-STEP SLIDE OPERATED PASTE TUBE SQUEEZER Filed Oct. 5, 1948 2 She'etS-Sheet l 1N VEN TOR.

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Nov. 29, 1949 c. B. TRoTTA STEPrBY-STEP SLIDE OPERATED PASTE TUBE SQUEEZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1948 y F'lEnyl F11-E; E.

Patented Nov. 29, 1949 anni() iJNlTED sTfr'Ei-s APruisen OFFICE.

I STEP-BY-STEP SLIDE OPERATED PASTE TUBE `SQUEEZER vCanio B. Trotta, Newark, N. J. Application october 5, 194s, serial No. 52,872

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-103) The above broadl as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description, wherein characters .of 'reference refer to like-numbered parts on the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that the drawings are intended solely for'the purpose of illustration, and that it is .therefore neither desired nor intended to limit Athe invention necessarily to any Vor all of the exact details of construction shown except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the device. y

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same taken on the line2-'2iofg Fig. v1. 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3- 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional'view taken'on theline ii-#4 of Fig. 2, with the tube of paste and the actuating slide member omitted.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, with the cover I5 and its block 22, however, shown elevation for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the actuating slide member per se.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the housing cover.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a housing substantially square in cross-section, having the rear wall II, the side walls I2, and the front wall I3. All of the parts of the housing, as well as other parts about to be described, may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of a plastic material such as, for example, polystyrene. The bottom of the housing is closed by a floor I4, and the top, which is open, is provided with a removable cover I having a hand grip I6.

Both side walls I2 are provided on their inner surfaces with vertically spaced horizontal rails I1, each rail on one side lying in the same plane as one rail on the -opposite side. The front wall I3 has a longitudinal slot I8 extending midway down the length of the wall, and at every horiontal level between successive tiers of coplanar rails this slot is widened into a `circular opening I9. The length of the rails is less than the width of the side walls I2 thereby leaving vertical 2 l spaces Ila between the ends of the rails and the front wall I3.

The iloor I4 has an oifset tapered opening v.2li therethrough, radapted to. have the neck of van inverted paste tube 2l register therein, asfillustrated, afterinsertionof the latterinto the hous-l ing through the top thereof.

The underside of .the cover I5 is provided with a block 22 rigid therewith and of substantially the length and width of the housing interior cross-section, and near the rear end of the cover the block `22 has a transverse groove 23. The s ealed end 24 of the tube 2| is adapted to register in the groove 23 when the cover is placed onthe housing. Thus, by 'means of the groove 23 and the opening 20, the filled tube is centered -or rather properly positioned and held in the housing.

The actuating slidefor expelling paste from the tube, is shown at 25, and comprises a stein 26 adapted to slide through any round opening I9, an enlarged handle V2l', and a cross-member 28whose width exceeds the distance between the two rails of each co-planar pair of rails so that its extremities are adapted to slide between two vertically spaced pairs of rails I'I. As illustrated; the cross-member 28 is shown in the shape 'of a yoke having the two arms 29, but if desired the latter could be omitted or the member 28 could be provided in the form of a at plate, not shown, of the same length as the member 28.

Fig. 3 serves to illustrate the use of the slide member '25 in compressing the tube 2l so as to force the latter to expel paste from the tube when the cap 29a has been removed, and Fig. 3 is therefore believed to be proper to illustrate the invention. In actual use, however, that portion of the tube shown above the level of the slide 25 would appear substantially nat, since, in the manner described below, it has been flattened by the repeated act of compression by the slide member.

Referring again to Fig. 3, it is apparent that when the member 25 is pushed inward the crossmember 28 will tend to flatten the tube and thus cause paste to be expelled through the uncapped mouth of the tube, so that the expelled paste will be deposited on a brush, not shown, held thereunder. After each use of the device in that manner, the slide is left where it last was, except when the tube rearward of the slide has been completely flattened. Then, for use on the next occasion, the slide 25 is withdrawn part way until the reduced square-section 3l) of the stem 26 is positioned within the vertical slot I8 and the ends of the member 28 lie in the vertical spaces I'la forward of the rails, and since the Section 30 is of sufficiently small width to move in the said slot, the slide member 25 is dropped a distance of one tier of rails into the horizontal spaces between the next successive lower rails. The slide is then used as above described to expel quantities of paste from that section of the tube in the same manner. When the entire tube has thus been iiattened and hence substantially emptied, the slide is finally moved down into the open space 3| between the bottom of the front wall I3 and the oor I4, this space being provided by cutting the lower end of the front wall away to a height slightly in excess of the thickness, or height, of the cross-member 28. The cover I5 is then removed, the empty tube is extracted, me slide 2b is moved upward to the top space between the rails, and the full fresh tube is again inserted as before, and the device is then again ready for use. Y

A relatively wide plate 32 may be provided against the rear wall II for the purpose of attaching the device to the bathroom wall or a cabinet by passing screws through holes 33. A toothbrush holder such as shown at 34 may also be provided on the plate 32, and if desired other holding means, such as those for a razor or a brush, not shown, might also be added.

Obviously, modications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1,'A device of the class described comprising a. tubular vertical housing having a rear Wall, a front wall, and side walls, said housing having a floor closing the bottom thereof, said iioor having an opening therethrough, said front wall having the lower end thereof cut away to provide a space between said front wall and said floor, said side walls having vertically spaced horizontal Arails on the insides thereof arranged in co-planar pairs, said housing being adapted to receive an inverted paste tube therein with the neck of said paste tube registering in said oor opening, said front wall having a vertical slot therethrough intermediate its width, and a slide member comprising a. stem slidably mounted in said slot, that end of said stem positioned within the housing having a cross-member thereon, said crossmember having a width in excess of the horizontal distance between said rails the ends oi said cross-member being selectively slidably mounted on any of said co-planar rails, said rails extending from said rear wall to a point spaced from said front wall thereby leaving on said side walls opposed vertical spaces, said vertical spaces having a width in excess of the width of said cross-member thereby permitting said crossmember to be moved vertically in said vertical spa-ces, the height of said rst-named space being greater than the height of said cross-member, said stem adjacent said cross-member having a width less than the width of said slot.

2. The device set forth in claim 1, said slot having enlarged rounded cut-outs positioned between the mutually adjacent pairs of said coplanar rails, said stem having that portion thereof distant from said cross-member enlarged and of larger diameter than the diameter of said rounded cut-outs.

3. The device set forth in claim 1, said housing being adapted to receive an inverted paste tube therein as aforesaid, said housing having a cover adapted to cover the top thereof, said cover having a transverse slot in the underside thereof adapted to have the seam end of said tube register therein.

4. The device set forth in claim l, said ycrossmember having yoke arms on the extremities thereof extending at right angles to said cross; member, said stem having a handle on the outer end thereof.

CANIO B. TROTTA.

REFERENCE S CIT ED The following references are of record in the leof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,043,248 Hughes June 9, 1936 2,231,889 Davis Feb. 18, 1941 

